entanglement

[en-tang-guh l-muh nt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR entanglement ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of entangling.

the state of being entangled.

something that entangles; snare; involvement; complication.

Origin of entanglement

First recorded in 1630–40; entangle + -ment

Related formsin·ter·en·tan·gle·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for entanglement

liaison, imbroglio, affair, cobweb, jumble, tangle, web, complexity, tie-up, embroilment, mess, confusion, muddle, embarrassment, mesh, knot, snare, association, difficulty, intricacy

Examples from the Web for entanglement

Contemporary Examples of entanglement

The corporate eye does not light up over inappropriate sexual behavior and entanglement with the law.
Autism and Child Pornography: A Toxic Combination
Eustacia Cutler
August 5, 2013

Historical Examples of entanglement

The second, after a brief struggle, followed with the entanglement.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, March 29, 1916
Various
We had as well take a day off to do our part in this entanglement.
David Lannarck, Midget
George S. Harney
You'll enjoy watching us get out of this entanglement, whatever it is.
General John Regan
George A. Birmingham
Literally, to take the feet out of entanglement; hence, to hasten.
Orthography
Elmer W. Cavins
This entanglement made Carrie anxious for a change of some sort.
Sister Carrie
Theodore Dreiser

British Dictionary definitions for entanglement

entanglement

noun

something that entangles or is itself entangled

a sexual relationship regarded as unfortunate, damaging, or compromising

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for entanglement

1640s, from entangle + -ment. Foreign entanglements does not appear as such in Washington's Farewell Address, though he nonetheless warns against them. The phrase is found in William Coxe's 1798 memoirs of Sir Robert Walpole.